Furniture store moving into old Circuit City; new owner for SR 200 gym

Published: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 12:22 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 3:56 p.m.

Two vacant Ocala commercial buildings will have new life as Hudson’s Furniture Showroom Inc. moves into the former Circuit City building off State Road 200 near Home Depot, and Ocala Health and Fitness moves into the space once occupied by All Pro Fitness, also off SR 200.

Hudson’s Furniture has 16 stores in Florida, the closest in Sanford, according to its website.

The website already lists the new location, 3402 SW 36th Terrace, as a store that will be open soon. No date has been given.

The company was incorporated in 1995 and Fred Hudson III is its CEO. Hudson’s Furniture officials did not respond to telephone calls for this story.

There are no renovations apparent at the location. Circuit City closed in 2009 following the national retail chain’s bankruptcy and inability to find a new buyer.

According to Marion County court records Circuit City bought the property in 1995 for $1.2 million, sold it a year later to AWE Ocala Ltd., and apparently leased it back.

In 2009, Wells Fargo Bank and First Security Bank took possession of the property from the California-based AWE Ocala Ltd. The 29,482-square-foot building has remained vacant ever since. Circuit City was the second largest electronics retailer, behind Best Buy, when it closed its remaining 567 stores.

Hudson’s Furniture purchased the 4.2 acre lot and building earlier this month for $1.6 million, less than half of the $4.4 million Circuit City Stores Inc. sold the property for to AWE.

It’s uncertain how many people the new furniture business will employ.

Meanwhile, Ocala Health and Fitness hopes to open its doors next week and have a grand opening soon afterward. All Pro Fitness closed its doors at the 12,000-square-foot facility in January amid sluggish membership enrollment.

Hannon said she chose the SR 200 location because it was centrally located and fronts a highway that enjoys high traffic count.

John Durham, the fitness center’s membership manager, said the fitness business has changed during the past several years.

Health clubs that hope to grow and stay in business now have to keep customers engaged and interested in fitness and wanting to return to the gym, he said.

From once being sales-oriented, attracting new members, these businesses now must focus on customer service, he said.

Although Ocala already has a handful of fitness centers, Durham said the area has ample room for another one, which will predominately compete with moderate and upscale clubs.

Durham said his fitness center won’t focus on attracting only one type of exercise client, but a broad spectrum of people with varying exercise goals and needs. The equipment will be new and the staff will have the experience to help individuals get the help they need, he said.

One way to keep clients happy is by offering clients monthly payment options with no contract obligations, Durham said. That means fitness members can end their memberships anytime and as a result encourages fitness employees to work harder at keeping their members put and their concerns addressed.

“(And) it’s a results-driven business,” Durham said.

That means clients want to see results from their exercise efforts, so the fitness center must have the proper equipment and staff willing to help clients get results. And if they see results — by becoming more fit and healthier — they will remain gym members and encourage friends and family to also join, Durham said.

To be competitive, modern gyms have to offer a variety of innovative fitness strategies to keep customers interested and coming back, he said.

“We have to offer variety ... because this town is so diverse,” Durham said, “from athletes to the obese younger crowd to your senior citizens to everybody in between.”

In addition, the new fitness center will meet with its clients to determine their fitness needs and how to achieve their goals, Durham said.

Gone are the days when someone joined a gym and was ignored by the gym’s staff.

“That’s what put a lot of big (fitness center) companies out of business,” he said.

<p>Two vacant Ocala commercial buildings will have new life as Hudson's Furniture Showroom Inc. moves into the former Circuit City building off State Road 200 near Home Depot, and Ocala Health and Fitness moves into the space once occupied by All Pro Fitness, also off SR 200.</p><p>Hudson's Furniture has 16 stores in Florida, the closest in Sanford, according to its website.</p><p>The website already lists the new location, 3402 SW 36th Terrace, as a store that will be open soon. No date has been given.</p><p>The company was incorporated in 1995 and Fred Hudson III is its CEO. Hudson's Furniture officials did not respond to telephone calls for this story.</p><p>There are no renovations apparent at the location. Circuit City closed in 2009 following the national retail chain's bankruptcy and inability to find a new buyer.</p><p>According to Marion County court records Circuit City bought the property in 1995 for $1.2 million, sold it a year later to AWE Ocala Ltd., and apparently leased it back.</p><p>In 2009, Wells Fargo Bank and First Security Bank took possession of the property from the California-based AWE Ocala Ltd. The 29,482-square-foot building has remained vacant ever since. Circuit City was the second largest electronics retailer, behind Best Buy, when it closed its remaining 567 stores.</p><p>Hudson's Furniture purchased the 4.2 acre lot and building earlier this month for $1.6 million, less than half of the $4.4 million Circuit City Stores Inc. sold the property for to AWE.</p><p>It's uncertain how many people the new furniture business will employ.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ocala Health and Fitness hopes to open its doors next week and have a grand opening soon afterward. All Pro Fitness closed its doors at the 12,000-square-foot facility in January amid sluggish membership enrollment.</p><p>The gym's owners include Jason Morris, Vanguard High School's volleyball coach; and Nicki Hannon.</p><p>Hannon said she chose the SR 200 location because it was centrally located and fronts a highway that enjoys high traffic count.</p><p>John Durham, the fitness center's membership manager, said the fitness business has changed during the past several years.</p><p>Health clubs that hope to grow and stay in business now have to keep customers engaged and interested in fitness and wanting to return to the gym, he said.</p><p>From once being sales-oriented, attracting new members, these businesses now must focus on customer service, he said.</p><p>Although Ocala already has a handful of fitness centers, Durham said the area has ample room for another one, which will predominately compete with moderate and upscale clubs.</p><p>Durham said his fitness center won't focus on attracting only one type of exercise client, but a broad spectrum of people with varying exercise goals and needs. The equipment will be new and the staff will have the experience to help individuals get the help they need, he said.</p><p>One way to keep clients happy is by offering clients monthly payment options with no contract obligations, Durham said. That means fitness members can end their memberships anytime and as a result encourages fitness employees to work harder at keeping their members put and their concerns addressed.</p><p>“(And) it's a results-driven business,” Durham said.</p><p>That means clients want to see results from their exercise efforts, so the fitness center must have the proper equipment and staff willing to help clients get results. And if they see results — by becoming more fit and healthier — they will remain gym members and encourage friends and family to also join, Durham said.</p><p>To be competitive, modern gyms have to offer a variety of innovative fitness strategies to keep customers interested and coming back, he said.</p><p>“We have to offer variety ... because this town is so diverse,” Durham said, “from athletes to the obese younger crowd to your senior citizens to everybody in between.”</p><p>In addition, the new fitness center will meet with its clients to determine their fitness needs and how to achieve their goals, Durham said.</p><p>Gone are the days when someone joined a gym and was ignored by the gym's staff.</p><p>“That's what put a lot of big (fitness center) companies out of business,” he said.</p><p><i>Contact Fred Hiers at fred.hiers@starbanner.com or 867-4157.</i></p>